白雪皇后

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        　　doubt: she is sorrowing for me, as she did for little Kay. But I will soon
        　　come home, and then I will bring Kay with me. It is of no use asking the
        　　flowers; they only know their own old rhymes, and can tell me nothing." And
        　　she tucked up her frock, to enable her to run quicker; but the Narcissus gave
        　　her a knock on the leg, just as she was going to jump over it. So she stood
        　　still, looked at the long yellow flower, and asked, "You perhaps know
        　　something?" and she bent down to the Narcissus. And what did it say?
        　　"I can see myself--I can see myself! Oh, how odorous I am! Up in the little
        　　garret there stands, half-dressed, a little Dancer. She stands now on one leg,
        　　now on both; she despises the whole world; yet she lives only in imagination.
        　　She pours water out of the teapot over a piece of stuff which she holds in her
        　　hand; it is the bodice; cleanliness is a fine thing. The white dress is
        　　hanging on the hook; it was washed in the teapot, and dried on the roof. She
        　　puts it on, ties a saffron-colored kerchief round her neck, and then the gown
        　　looks whiter. I can see myself--I can see myself!"
        　　"That's nothing to me," said little Gerda. "That does not concern me." And
        　　then off she ran to the further end of the garden.
        　　The gate was locked, but she shook the rusted bolt till it was loosened, and
        　　the gate opened; and little Gerda ran off barefooted into the wide world. She
        　　looked round her thrice, but no one followed her. At last she could run no
        　　longer; she sat down on a large stone, and when she looked about her, she saw
        　　that the summer had passed; it was late in the autumn, but that one could not
        　　remark in the beautiful garden, where there was always sunshine, and where
        　　there were flowers the whole year round.
        　　"Dear me, how long I have staid!" said Gerda. "Autumn is come. I must not rest
        　　any longer." And she got up to go further.
        　　Oh, how tender and wearied her little feet were! All around it looked so cold
        　　and raw: the long willow-leaves were quite yellow, and the fog dripped from
        　　them like water; one leaf fell after the other: the sloes only stood full of
        　　fruit, which set one's teeth on edge. Oh, how dark and comfortless it was in
        　　the dreary world!
        　　FOURTH STORY. The Prince and Princess
        　　Gerda was obliged to rest herself again, when, exactly opposite to her, a
        　　large Raven came hopping over the white snow. He had long been looking at
        　　Gerda and shaking his head; and now he said, "Caw! Caw!" Good day! Good day!
        　　He could not say it better; but he felt a sympathy for the little girl, and
        　　asked her where she was going all alone. The word "alone" Gerda understood
            
            

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        　　quite well, and felt how much was expressed by it; so she told the Raven her
        　　whole history, and asked if he had not seen Kay.
        　　The Raven nodded very gravely, and said, "It may be--it may be!"
        　　"What, do you really think so?" cried the little girl; and she nearly squeezed
        　　the Raven to death, so much did she kiss him.
        　　"Gently, gently," said the Raven. "I think I know; I think that it may be
        　　little Kay. But now he has forgotten you for the Princess."
        　　"Does he live with a Princess?" asked Gerda.
        　　"Yes--listen," said the Raven; "but it will be difficult for me to speak your
        　　language. If you understand the Raven language I can tell you better."
        　　"No, I have not learnt it," said Gerda; "but my grandmother understands it,
        　　and she can speak gibberish too. I wish I had learnt it."
        　　"No matter," said the Raven; "I will tell you as well as I can; however, it
        　　will be bad enough." And then he told all he knew.
        　　"In the kingdom where we now are there lives a Princess, who is
        　　extraordinarily clever; for she has read all the newspapers in the whole
        　　world, and has forgotten them again--so clever is she. She was lately, it is
        　　said, sitting on her throne--which is not very amusing after all--when she
        　　began humming an old tune, and it was just, 'Oh, why should I not be married?'
        　　'That song is not without its meaning,' said she, and so then she was
        　　determined to marry; but she would have a husband who knew how to give an
        　　answer when he was spoken to--not one who looked only as if he were a great
        　　personage, for that is so tiresome. She then had all the ladies of the court
        　　drummed together; and when they heard her intention, all were very pleased,
        　　and said, 'We are very glad to hear it; it is the very thing we were thinking
        　　of.' You may believe every word I say," said the Raven; "for I have a tame
        　　sweetheart that hops about in the palace quite free, and it was she who told
        　　me all this.
        　　"The newspapers appeared forthwith with a border of hearts and the initials of
        　　the Princess; and therein you might read that every good-looking young man was
        　　at liberty to come to the palace and speak to the Princess; and he who spoke
        　　in such wise as showed he felt himself at home there, that one the Princess
        　　would choose for her husband.
        　　"Yes, Yes," said the Raven, "you may believe it; it is as true as I am sitting
        　　here. People came in crowds; there was a crush and a hurry, but no one was
        　　successful either on the first or second day. They could all talk well enough
            
            

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        　　when they were out in the street; but as soon as they came inside the
        　　palace gates, and saw the guard richly dressed in silver, and the lackeys in
        　　gold on the staircase, and the large illuminated saloons, then they were
        　　abashed; and when they stood before the throne on which the Princess was
        　　sitting, all they could do was to repeat the last word they had uttered, and
        　　to hear it again did not interest her very much. It was just as if the people
        　　within were under a charm, and had fallen into a trance till they came out
        　　again into the street; for then--oh, then--they could chatter enough. There
        　　was a whole row of them standing from the town-gates to the palace. I was
        　　there myself to look," said the Raven. "They grew hungry and thirsty; but from
        　　the palace they got nothing whatever, not even a glass of water. Some of the
        　　cleverest, it is true, had taken bread and butter with them: but none shared
        　　it with his neighbor, for each thought, 'Let him look hungry, and then the
        　　Princess won't have him.'"
        　　"But Kay--little Kay," said Gerda, "when did he come? Was he among the
        　　number?"
        　　"Patience, patience; we are just come to him. It was on the third day when a
        　　little personage without horse or equipage, came marching right boldly up to
        　　the palace; his eyes shone like yours, he had beautiful long hair, but his
        　　clothes were very shabby."
        　　"That was Kay," cried Gerda, with a voice of delight. "Oh, now I've found
        　　him!" and she clapped her hands for joy.
        　　"He had a little knapsack at his back," said the Raven.
        　　"No, that was certainly his sledge," said Gerda; "for when he went away he
        　　took his sledge with him."
        　　"That may be," said the Raven; "I did not examine him so minutely; but I know
        　　from my tame sweetheart, that when he came into the court-yard of the palace,
        　　and saw the body-guard in silver, the lackeys on the staircase, he was not the
        　　least abashed; he nodded, and said to them, 'It must be very tiresome to stand
        　　on the stairs; for my part, I shall go in.' The saloons were gleaming with
        　　lustres--privy councillors and excellencies were walking about barefooted, and
        　　wore gold keys; it was enough to make any one feel uncomfortable. His boots
        　　creaked, too, so loudly, but still he was not at all afraid."
        　　"That's Kay for certain," said Gerda. "I know he had on new boots; I have
        　　heard them creaking in grandmama's room."
        　　"Yes, they creaked," said the Raven. "And on he went boldly up to the
        　　Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spinning-wheel. All the
            
            

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        　　ladies of the court, with their attendants and attendants' attendants, and all
        　　the cavaliers, with their gentlemen and gentlemen's gentlemen, stood round;
        　　and the nearer they stood to the door, the prouder they looked. It was hardly
        　　possible to look at the gentleman's gentleman, so very haughtily did he stand
        　　in the doorway."
        　　"It must have been terrible," said little Gerda. "And did Kay get the
        　　Princess?"
        　　"Were I not a Raven, I should have taken the Princess myself, although I am
        　　promised. It is said he spoke as well as I speak when I talk Raven language;
        　　this I learned from my tame sweetheart. He was bold and nicely behaved; he had
        　　not come to woo the Princess, but only to hear her wisdom. She pleased him,
        　　and he pleased her."
        　　"Yes, yes; for certain that was Kay," said Gerda. "He was so clever; he could
        　　reckon fractions in his head. Oh, won't you take me to the palace?"
        　　"That is very easily said," answered the Raven. "But how are we to manage it?
        　　I'll speak to my tame sweetheart about it: she must advise us; for so much I
        　　must tell you, such a little girl as you are will never get permission to
        　　enter."
        　　"Oh, yes I shall," said Gerda; "when Kay hears that I am here, he will come
        　　out directly to fetch me."
        　　"Wait for me here on these steps," said the Raven. He moved his head backwards
        　　and forwards and flew away.
        　　The evening was closing in when the Raven returned. "Caw--caw!" said he. "She
        　　sends you her compliments; and here is a roll for you. She took it out of the
        　　kitchen, where there is bread enough. You are hungry, no doubt. It is not
        　　possible for you to enter the palace, for you are barefooted: the guards in
        　　silver, and the lackeys in gold, would not allow it; but do not cry, you shall
        　　come in still. My sweetheart knows a little back stair that leads to the
        　　bedchamber, and she knows where she can get the key of it."
        　　And they went into the garden in the large avenue, where one leaf was falling
        　　after the other; and when the lights in the palace had all gradually
        　　disappeared, the Raven led little Gerda to the back door, which stood half
        　　open.
        　　Oh, how Gerda's heart beat with anxiety and longing! It was just as if she had
        　　been about to do something wrong; and yet she only wanted to know if little
        　　Kay was there. Yes, he must be there. She called to mind his intelligent eyes,
        　　and his long hair, so vividly, she could quite see him as he used to laugh
        　　when they were sitting under the roses at home. "He will, no doubt, be glad to
            
            

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        　　see you--to hear what a long way you have come for his sake; to know how
        　　unhappy all at home were when he did not come back."
        　　Oh, what a fright and a joy it was!
        　　They were now on the stairs. A single lamp was burning there; and on the floor
        　　stood the tame Raven, turning her head on every side and looking at Gerda, who
        　　bowed as her grandmother had taught her to do.
        　　"My intended has told me so much good of you, my dear young lady," said the
        　　tame Raven. "Your tale is very affecting. If you will take the lamp, I will go
        　　before. We will go straight on, for we shall meet no one."
        　　"I think there is somebody just behind us," said Gerda; and something rushed
        　　past: it was like shadowy figures on the wall; horses with flowing manes and
        　　thin legs, huntsmen, ladies and gentlemen on horseback.
        　　"They are only dreams," said the Raven. "They come to fetch the thoughts of
        　　the high personages to the chase; 'tis well, for now you can observe them in
        　　bed all the better. But let me find, when you enjoy honor and distinction,
        　　that you possess a grateful heart."
        　　"Tut! That's not worth talking about," said the Raven of the woods.
        　　They now entered the first saloon, which was of rose-colored satin, with
        　　artificial flowers on the wall. Here the dreams were rushing past, but they
        　　hastened by so quickly that Gerda could not see the high personages. One hall
        　　was more magnificent than the other; one might indeed well be abashed; and at
        　　last they came into the bedchamber. The ceiling of the room resembled a large
        　　palm-tree with leaves of glass, of costly glass; and in the middle, from a
        　　thick golden stem, hung two beds, each of which resembled a lily. One was
        　　white, and in this lay the Princess; the other was red, and it was here that
        　　Gerda was to look for little Kay. She bent back one of the red leaves, and saw
        　　a brown neck. Oh! that was Kay! She called him quite loud by name, held the
        　　lamp towards him--the dreams rushed back again into the chamber--he awoke,
        　　turned his head, and--it was not little Kay!
        　　The Prince was only like him about the neck; but he was young and handsome.
        　　And out of the white lily leaves the Princess peeped, too, and asked what was
        　　the matter. Then little Gerda cried, and told her her whole history, and all
        　　that the Ravens had done for her.
        　　"Poor little thing!" said the Prince and the Princess. They praised the Ravens
        　　very much, and told them they were not at all angry with them, but they were
        　　not to do so again. However, they should have a reward. "Will you fly about
        　　here at liberty," asked the Princess; "or would you like to have a fixed
            
            

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        　　appointment as court ravens, with all the broken bits from the kitchen?"
        　　And both the Ravens nodded, and begged for a fixed appointment; for they
        　　thought of their old age, and said, "It is a good thing to have a provision
        　　for our old days."
        　　And the Prince got up and let Gerda sleep in his bed, and more than this he
        　　could not do. She folded her little hands and thought, "How good men and
        　　animals are!" and she then fell asleep and slept soundly. All the dreams flew
        　　in again, and they now looked like the angels; they drew a little sledge, in
        　　which little Kay sat and nodded his head; but the whole was only a dream, and
        　　therefore it all vanished as soon as she awoke.
        　　The next day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet. They
        　　offered to let her stay at the palace, and lead a happy life; but she begged
        　　to have a little carriage with a horse in front, and for a small pair of
        　　shoes; then, she said, she would again go forth in the wide world and look for
        　　Kay.
        　　Shoes and a muff were given her; she was, too, dressed very nicely; and when
        　　she was about to set off, a new carriage stopped before the door. It was of
        　　pure gold, and the arms of the Prince and Princess shone like a star upon it;
        　　the coachman, the footmen, and the outriders, for outriders were there, too,
        　　all wore golden crowns. The Prince and the Princess assisted her into the
        　　carriage themselves, and wished her all success. The Raven of the woods, who
        　　was now married, accompanied her for the first three miles. He sat beside
        　　Gerda, for he could not bear riding backwards; the other Raven stood in the
        　　doorway, and flapped her wings; she could not accompany Gerda, because she
        　　suffered from headache since she had had a fixed appointment and ate so much.
        　　The carriage was lined inside with sugar-plums, and in the seats were fruits
        　　and gingerbread.
        　　"Farewell! Farewell!" cried Prince and Princess; and Gerda wept, and the Raven
        　　wept. Thus passed the first miles; and then the Raven bade her farewell, and
        　　this was the most painful separation of all. He flew into a tree, and beat his
        　　black wings as long as he could see the carriage, that shone from afar like a
        　　sunbeam.
        　　FIFTH STORY. The Little Robber Maiden
        　　They drove through the dark wood; but the carriage shone like a torch, and it
        　　dazzled the eyes of the robbers, so that they could not bear to look at it.
        　　"'Tis gold! 'Tis gold!" they cried; and they rushed forward, seized the
        　　horses, knocked down the little postilion, the coachman, and the servants, and
        　　pulled little Gerda out of the carriage.
            
            

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        　　"How plump, how beautiful she is! She must have been fed on nut-kernels," said
        　　the old female robber, who had a long, scrubby beard, and bushy eyebrows that
        　　hung down over her eyes. "She is as good as a fatted lamb! How nice she will
        　　be!" And then she drew out a knife, the blade of which shone so that it was
        　　quite dreadful to behold.
        　　"Oh!" cried the woman at the same moment. She had been bitten in the ear by
        　　her own little daughter, who hung at her back; and who was so wild and
        　　unmanageable, that it was quite amusing to see her. "You naughty child!" said
        　　the mother: and now she had not time to kill Gerda.
        　　"She shall play with me," said the little robber child. "She shall give me her
        　　muff, and her pretty frock; she shall sleep in my bed!" And then she gave her
        　　mother another bite, so that she jumped, and ran round with the pain; and the
        　　Robbers laughed, and said, "Look, how she is dancing with the little one!"
        　　"I will go into the carriage," said the little robber maiden; and she would
        　　have her will, for she was very spoiled and very headstrong. She and Gerda got
        　　in; and then away they drove over the stumps of felled trees, deeper and
        　　deeper into the woods. The little robber maiden was as tall as Gerda, but
        　　stronger, broader-shouldered, and of dark complexion; her eyes were quite
        　　black; they looked almost melancholy. She embraced little Gerda, and said,
        　　"They shall not kill you as long as I am not displeased with you. You are,
        　　doubtless, a Princess?"
        　　"No," said little Gerda; who then related all that had happened to her, and
        　　how much she cared about little Kay.
        　　The little robber maiden looked at her with a serious air, nodded her head
        　　slightly, and said, "They shall not kill you, even if I am angry with you:
        　　then I will do it myself"; and she dried Gerda's eyes, and put both her hands
        　　in the handsome muff, which was so soft and warm.
        　　At length the carriage stopped. They were in the midst of the court-yard of a
        　　robber's castle. It was full of cracks from top to bottom; and out of the
        　　openings magpies and rooks were flying; and the great bull-dogs, each of which
        　　looked as if he could swallow a man, jumped up, but they did not bark, for
        　　that was forbidden.
        　　In the midst of the large, old, smoking hall burnt a great fire on the stone
        　　floor. The smoke disappeared under the stones, and had to seek its own egress.
        　　In an immense caldron soup was boiling; and rabbits and hares were being
        　　roasted on a spit.
        　　"You shall sleep with me to-night, with all my animals," said the little
            
            

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        　　robber maiden. They had something to eat and drink; and then went into a
        　　corner, where straw and carpets were lying. Beside them, on laths and perches,
        　　sat nearly a hundred pigeons, all asleep, seemingly; but yet they moved a
        　　little when the robber maiden came. "They are all mine," said she, at the
        　　same time seizing one that was next to her by the legs and shaking it so that
        　　its wings fluttered. "Kiss it," cried the little girl, and flung the pigeon in
        　　Gerda's face. "Up there is the rabble of the wood," continued she, pointing to
        　　several laths which were fastened before a hole high up in the wall; "that's
        　　the rabble; they would all fly away immediately, if they were not well
        　　fastened in. And here is my dear old Bac"; and she laid hold of the horns of a
        　　reindeer, that had a bright copper ring round its neck, and was tethered to
        　　the spot. "We are obliged to lock this fellow in too, or he would make his
        　　escape. Every evening I tickle his neck with my sharp knife; he is so
        　　frightened at it!" and the little girl drew forth a long knife, from a crack
        　　in the wall, and let it glide over the Reindeer's neck. The poor animal
        　　kicked; the girl laughed, and pulled Gerda into bed with her.
        　　"Do you intend to keep your knife while you sleep?" asked Gerda; looking at it
        　　rather fearfully.
        　　"I always sleep with the knife," said the little robber maiden. "There is no
        　　knowing what may happen. But tell me now, once more, all about little Kay; and
        　　why you have started off in the wide world alone." And Gerda related all, from
        　　the very beginning: the Wood-pigeons cooed above in their cage, and the others
        　　slept. The little robber maiden wound her arm round Gerda's neck, held the
        　　knife in the other hand, and snored so loud that everybody could hear her; but
        　　Gerda could not close her eyes, for she did not know whether she was to live
        　　or die. The robbers sat round the fire, sang and drank; and the old female
        　　robber jumped about so, that it was quite dreadful for Gerda to see her.
        　　Then the Wood-pigeons said, "Coo! Coo! We have seen little Kay! A white hen
        　　carries his sledge; he himself sat in the carriage of the Snow Queen, who
        　　passed here, down just over the wood, as we lay in our nest. She blew upon us
        　　young ones; and all died except we two. Coo! Coo!"
        　　"What is that you say up there?" cried little Gerda. "Where did the Snow Queen
        　　go to? Do you know anything about it?"
        　　"She is no doubt gone to Lapland; for there is always snow and ice there. Only
        　　ask the Reindeer, who is tethered there."
            
            

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        　　"Ice and snow is there! There it is, glorious and beautiful!" said the
        　　Reindeer. "One can spring about in the large shining valleys! The Snow Queen
        　　has her summer-tent there; but her fixed abode is high up towards the North
        　　Pole, on the Island called Spitzbergen."
        　　"Oh, Kay! Poor little Kay!" sighed Gerda.
        　　"Do you choose to be quiet?" said the robber maiden. "If you don't, I shall
        　　make you."
        　　In the morning Gerda told her all that the Wood-pigeons had said; and the
        　　little maiden looked very serious, but she nodded her head, and said, "That's
        　　no matter--that's no matter. Do you know where Lapland lies!" she asked of the
        　　Reindeer.
        　　"Who should know better than I?" said the animal; and his eyes rolled in his
        　　head. "I was born and bred there--there I leapt about on the fields of snow."
        　　"Listen," said the robber maiden to Gerda. "You see that the men are gone;
        　　but my mother is still here, and will remain. However, towards morning she
        　　takes a draught out of the large flask, and then she sleeps a little: then I
        　　will do something for you." She now jumped out of bed, flew to her mother;
        　　with her arms round her neck, and pulling her by the beard, said, "Good
        　　morrow, my own sweet nanny-goat of a mother." And her mother took hold of her
        　　nose, and pinched it till it was red and blue; but this was all done out of
        　　pure love.
        　　When the mother had taken a sup at her flask, and was having a nap, the little
        　　robber maiden went to the Reindeer, and said, "I should very much like to give
        　　you still many a tickling with the sharp knife, for then you are so amusing;
        　　however, I will untether you, and help you out, so that you may go back to
        　　Lapland. But you must make good use of your legs; and take this little girl
        　　for me to the palace of the Snow Queen, where her playfellow is. You have
        　　heard, I suppose, all she said; for she spoke loud enough, and you were
        　　listening."
        　　The Reindeer gave a bound for joy. The robber maiden lifted up little Gerda,
        　　and took the precaution to bind her fast on the Reindeer's back; she even gave
        　　her a small cushion to sit on. "Here are your worsted leggins, for it will be
        　　cold; but the muff I shall keep for myself, for it is so very pretty. But I
        　　do not wish you to be cold. Here is a pair of lined gloves of my mother's;
        　　they just reach up to your elbow. On with them! Now you look about the hands
        　　just like my ugly old mother!"
        　　And Gerda wept for joy.
        　　"I can't bear to see you fretting," said the little robber maiden. "This is
            
            

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        　　just the time when you ought to look pleased. Here are two loaves and a ham
        　　for you, so that you won't starve." The bread and the meat were fastened to
        　　the Reindeer's back; the little maiden opened the door, called in all the
        　　dogs, and then with her knife cut the rope that fastened the animal, and said
        　　to him, "Now, off with you; but take good care of the little girl!"
        　　And Gerda stretched out her hands with the large wadded gloves towards the
        　　robber maiden, and said, "Farewell!" and the Reindeer flew on over bush and
        　　bramble through the great wood, over moor and heath, as fast as he could go.
        　　"Ddsa! Ddsa!" was heard in the sky. It was just as if somebody was sneezing.
        　　"These are my old northern-lights," said the Reindeer, "look how they gleam!"
        　　And on he now sped still quicker--day and night on he went: the loaves were
        　　consumed, and the ham too; and now they were in Lapland.
        　　SIXTH STORY. The Lapland Woman and the Finland Woman
        　　Suddenly they stopped before a little house, which looked very miserable. The
        　　roof reached to the ground; and the door was so low, that the family were
        　　obliged to creep upon their stomachs when they went in or out. Nobody was at
        　　home except an old Lapland woman, who was dressing fish by the light of an oil
        　　lamp. And the Reindeer told her the whole of Gerda's history, but first of all
        　　his own; for that seemed to him of much greater importance. Gerda was so
        　　chilled that she could not speak.
        　　"Poor thing," said the Lapland woman, "you have far to run still. You have
        　　more than a hundred miles to go before you get to Finland; there the Snow
        　　Queen has her country-house, and burns blue lights every evening. I will give
        　　you a few words from me, which I will write on a dried haberdine, for paper I
        　　have none; this you can take with you to the Finland woman, and she will be
        　　able to give you more information than I can."
        　　When Gerda had warmed herself, and had eaten and drunk, the Lapland woman
        　　wrote a few words on a dried haberdine, begged Gerda to take care of them, put
        　　her on the Reindeer, bound her fast, and away sprang the animal. "Ddsa! Ddsa!"
        　　was again heard in the air; the most charming blue lights burned the whole
        　　night in the sky, and at last they came to Finland. They knocked at the
        　　chimney of the Finland woman; for as to a door, she had none.
        　　There was such a heat inside that the Finland woman herself went about
        　　almost naked. She was diminutive and dirty. She immediately loosened little
        　　Gerda's clothes, pulled off her thick gloves and boots; for otherwise the heat